Fans of the popular musical “Wicked” have been waiting years for it to be adapted to the big screen. And on Nov. 22, they’ll get their wish.
The Jonathan Chu-directed film, starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba/the Wicked Witch of the West and Ariana Grande as Glinda, soars into theaters just before Thanksgiving, and with it come the brand collaborations.
Simply offering fans “Wicked”-themed clothing items to wear to the premiere is not enough (though there’s plenty available, with Target, Aerie and Forever 21 selling “Wicked”-themed lines). There are dozens of brands collaborating with Universal Pictures, the company behind the film.
There are “Wicked” beauty products ranging from nail polishes with OPI to makeup with Grande’s line, R.E.M. Beauty. Travelers can globetrot in style with “Wicked”-branded luggage from Beis and bags from Vera Bradley. Target released more than 150 “Wicked”-inspired movie products, ranging from pink and green Stanley cups to a Bluetooth karaoke microphone for those who want to try to sing their own rendition of “Defying Gravity.”
Buying a pair of $160 Wicked x Aldo loafers or pimple patches with a witch hat on them might seem extreme to some. But Steve Granelli, a pop culture expert and associate teaching professor at Northeastern University, said these are ways for longtime fans of the musical to connect with the movie.
“The merchandise is aimed at people that are carryover fans who probably saw the original show in person and are absolutely going to be first in line to go see the movie,” Granelli said. “But that’s not enough. For one’s fandom to be a part of your identity, it needs to be displayed. “These (collaborations) are going to allow people to engage with their fandom materially. … We cannot resist the opportunity to engage in our fandom.”
“Wicked” has a dedicated fanbase. The story comes from the 1995 novel by fantasy writer Gregory Maguire, who, inspired by “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, decided to write a backstory for how the Wicked Witch of the West became the figure seen in the original novel. The story follows Elphaba, as she goes to Shiz University, befriends Galinda, who later becomes Glinda the Good Witch, and falls down the path to becoming “wicked.”
The novel was eventually turned into a musical that opened on Broadway in 2003. It went on to win many awards, including three Tonys, and produced several spinoff productions. The show is still running on Broadway today and has become a bit of a cultural touchstone. Given its history, the audience base for “Wicked” runs deep, from tweens just discovering the musical to adults who are fans of “The Wizard of Oz.” As a result, the brand collaborations are going to target this broad demographic.
Granelli said that while the film will expand the fandom of the musical itself and reach people who might not have seen the stage show or only saw it casually, the collaborations are for existing fans and for brands that will also enjoy the profits from their purchases.
“(Collabs) are part and parcel with pop culture materiality,” Granelli said. “There’s all these different motivations that are going to move people to making a particular decision. We don’t know what all of those small movements are going to move people to buy, but on the off chance four percent of people are going to purchase something because of a collaboration, that’s a win.”
Branded products also offer people a new way to engage in their fandom, Granelli said. As physical media, like DVDs and CDs, decline in popularity, buying a set of “Wicked”-themed socks from Bombas becomes a new way to engage as a fan. These products often bring back the joy consumers feel from the show or movie, Granelli added.
Brand collaborations to promote movies aren’t new — just look at last year’s “Barbie” for an example — but Granelli said the promotional products for “Wicked” are particularly heavy handed. Where once fans had to hunt down their gear, now Target advertises it with its own vertical on its site so shoppers can have “Wicked” toys and candles delivered to them with the click of a button.
And this could become the norm for these types of collaborations.
“It’s embracing a new kind of approach to materiality where the merch is kind of its own subculture,” Granelli said. “This is … making it easier for people to engage with that artifact.”
But it can also backfire against the movie, which is coming out in two parts, with the second one being released next year. Granelli said the collaborations are building hype that might ultimately fall flat if the movie doesn’t meet fans’ expectations.
“At this point, it’s almost like the hype is part of the monster working against it because the audience is so broad, because it’s been talked about for so long, because the anticipation is so high,” Granelli said. “That means, for better or worse, there’s going to be a lot more eyes on the actual product, which also means a lot more critique of the actual product, which means an embedded audience may be hoping for this to fail.”
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